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Edinburgh Fringe 2013

Started by Wayman C. McCreery, January 28, 2013, 09:33:42 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

CaledonianGonzo

Quote from: buntyman on August 08, 2013, 11:49:24 AM
If anyone actually knows of some good Free Fringe stuff though, I'd be glad of the info.

If I had more - any! - free time during the day I'd be giving Joseph Morpurgo's Truthmouth and Rachel Parris's The Commission a crack. 

But, er, I don't, cause I'm at work.

Robot DeNiro

Quote from: buntyman on August 08, 2013, 11:48:30 AM
I'm going to go to your show on Friday 16th. If you could squeeze a bit of The Sideboard Song it would make my inevitably drunken state a wee bit merrier.
That's an excellent idea, I hope I remember...

Blue Jam

Quote from: joeydubya on August 07, 2013, 10:05:08 PM
My advice, go see Colin Hoult

We've got tickets for the 18th and I'm massively looking forward to it, please tell me Andy Parker pops up in this show... and how was it?

Quote from: Robot DeNiro on August 07, 2013, 09:20:24 PM
Ha, we were thinking more musical requests rather than er, whatever that is.  And the musical requests aren't working out that well, the only one we've received in time to actually play was for One Direction.

So although there's not much competition, that's definitely the best request we've had so far.  We do have a short section about dogs, so I'll do my best to fit a little bit in.

Dogs? I'm sold already... cheers, you have no idea how much of a thrill I'll get seeing SAUSAGE DOOOOOOOG on a big screen. I'll probably enjoy this even more than that bloke who is off his tits enjoyed watching a bassett hound walking behind a log.

buntyman

Quote from: CaledonianGonzo on August 05, 2013, 10:24:42 AM


Music-wise I keep meaning to see these guys:

https://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/music/les-clochards-the-boys-are-back-in-town

I thought this was pretty bad to be honest but the ladies I was with seemed to enjoy it. The tramp gimmick was much more unconvincing than I'd have expected and the choice of songs was pretty uninspired. It was a slow hour.

CaledonianGonzo

Ah - apologies.  Not seen them myself, so it was a recommendation by way of hearsay.

sunjata

Quote from: Blue Jam on August 08, 2013, 12:36:52 PM
We've got tickets for the 18th and I'm massively looking forward to it, please tell me Andy Parker pops up in this show... and how was it?

Not sure about the live show but I thought Andy Parker was the highlight of Colin Hoult's recent Radio 4 Extra show, Carnival of Monsters. I love Colin Hoult and thought the transition to radio was a bit patchy - the best bits were definitely where he just let the characters breathe a bit, rather than conform to a traditional radio sketch show. It's going to be on Radio 4 proper later in the year, if you didn't catch it. I've got tickets to Characterhorse and his other thing, The Real Horror Show, later in the run - very excited about both. He's also in a play, Wardens, with Thom Tuck - anyone heard anything about that?

Norman Lovett - Old and New was a very amusing hour. Anyone who has seen his Go Faster Stripe DVD can safely give this a miss, though, as if you have seen that there is more old than new. There was also a noticeable lull in the middle as he went through some pictures on his iPad. The anti-comedy, no-material sections that bookended this bit, however, were brilliant. Plus he just seems like a really nice man.

I also saw a few non-comedy things, all at Summerhall, which is a really nice venue for hanging out in if you are finding the drunken comedy fans at Pleasance a bit much. Laquearia - a 'play' about John Cage, Marcel Duchamp and Samuel Beckett that was actually someone reading out the playwright's master's thesis. Utterly tedious. Robbie Thomson's Ecstatic Arc - a brilliant art installation/music composition that anyone who likes dance music or electricity will enjoy (although it would be more fun if you were allowed to dance rather than sit while watching). And Feral, a puppet/multimedia show about a riot in toytown, which was technically impressive but driven by the Coalition-esque political idea that anyone who riots is feral. I haven't wanted to stand on a puppeteer's hand so much since I watched smug tweefest Alvin Sputnik last year.   

CaledonianGonzo

Speaking of Summerhall - has anyone seen Süßer Duft yet?  We're going to be there on Saturday and I'm wondering whether to expose myself to it.

buntyman

Quote from: CaledonianGonzo on August 08, 2013, 02:06:20 PM
Ah - apologies.  Not seen them myself, so it was a recommendation by way of hearsay.

No probs, it was a buy one get one free and some of my friends enjoyed it so a partial success. I was just suggesting you approach with caution if you were considering going yourself.

CaledonianGonzo

Noted.  Consider my emptor caveated.

Pie Pie Eater

Quote from: CaledonianGonzo on August 08, 2013, 02:35:23 PM
Speaking of Summerhall - has anyone seen Süßer Duft yet?  We're going to be there on Saturday and I'm wondering whether to expose myself to it.

Ah yes, wondering about this myself...

Re free shows, anyone seen John-Luke Roberts yet? I would have thought that's a banker of a free show.

Tiny Poster

It's OK. He's still way too arch for me, with his "I'm doing comedeeeee - sorryyyyyyy!" delivery.

CaledonianGonzo

I think he's going to suffer from 'way too much happening in the middle of the afternoon'-itis as far as my attendance is concerned - unless I hear that it's unmissable.

Same with his significant other.

Mini

My 3 big recommendations would be Colin Hoult, Michael Legge and Bridget Christie.

Psybro

Tony Law - Interesting to see people say this is a work in progress, because only having seen this and the short format stuff off the Alternative Comedy Central Thingy, it's hard for me to imagine what a polished Tony Law set could possibly be.

It didn't quite hit the heights I thought it might, but it was really joyous stuff for the most part, even if it doesn't fire on all cylinders, and I still have the song at the end stuck in my head.

Stewart Lee - Excellent as always.  A better show than Vegetable Stew, perhaps as he's more used to this sort of TV previewy format now but obviously a different beast to Carpet Remnant World etc.  I'm really surprised to see him do an overly political half hour.  I've always got the feeling he's skirted around doing out-and-out political satire because he was close enough to the 80s alternative scene to not want to become some kind of leftie shibboleth/folk-era Bob Dylan.

Obviously he's always had a political element, but I never expected to actually hear him say "I'm going to do half an hour about the Tories".  As ever, the impact of his great one-liners combined with the inevitable interminably drawn-out bits gives it a lovely rhythm.

Peter Buckley Hill and Some Comedians - PBH has been doing this a long time and has a weird cult-like following as a compere in the room which takes some getting used to.  Robin Ince is the only guy who's name I can remember, and I thought he was good, so there.  Decent standard for a free show and I was dead chuffed when I found out it was the pub that had killed Nigel Farage.

Brendon Burns and Colt Cabana watch the wrestling - Daniel Sloss off the posters came in as the special guest and done pretty well.  Felt £8 was a bit steep to watch people MST3K stuff I'd mostly already seen (Battle Cat was new to me!) but I guess not everyone spent a week at uni reading everything Wrestlecrap ever posted.  If you're in the target audience for this, you'll see it anyway.

Bridget Christie - My favourite I'd say.  Really lovely stuff.  She's got a bit of Radio Four voice but overcame that after the first few minutes.  Doing a good comedy show about oppression is tough, but she came through very well and is a really engaging performer.  The place was packed out for a Tuesday morning so I think we'll be seeing a bit more of her.   Doing issues-based comedy is fine if it has, like, jokes in it, a salutory lesson.

Baconface - Can see that Stewart Lee has taken a lot of material directly from him.  Really good delivery but some of his material is lost on a non-Canadian audience, and his anecdotes go on a bit, don't they?  Stew could have a word.

Having got close to him when he shook hands with people at the start, it smelt like it is indeed real bacon.   

Tony Jameson - Football Manager Ruined My Life - I went for a show about Football Manager and got one.  I could see this bringing the house down at a student union, but for a weekday afternoon it felt like there were too many FM references for people who just came for comedy, and the kind of people that would get the FM references will be humourless, joyless bastards due to playing too much FM, and not laugh anyway.

Simon Munnery - I just didn't like this as much as Fylm Makker.  It's still marvellously creative stuff, but it felt like Munnery was overwhelmed by his own ideas for it.  I'd rather he inject a bit more straight stand-up, which he kind of did with Makker.  I expect this will be different every day, I guess the experience depends on what he yanks out of his box of tricks.

Some young'uns doing Free Fringe (no idea what their names were) - Stewart Lee has a lot to answer for.  I want to go and support young comics (younger than me and I've only just turned 27!) but so many of them point out material that hasn't worked immediately after delivering it and I wish they'd either write better material or take the much easier option to not draw attention to it.

Don't apologise for dying in midweek in front of a crowd too small to assemble IKEA furniture, of course you're going to die in those circumstances.  I doubt the Stones sit at home listening to their early demo tapes, shaking their heads.  Let me going away thinking about what did work instead of being filled with pathos.

Blue Jam

Saw The Pin today, with the original trio now down to just Alex and Ben (they won't be doing the "I'm the guy from Wheatus" sketch anymore). The dynamic is very different- they're now an uptight straight man/eejit duo- but if anything I enjoyed it as much as last year's show, though it's hard to say which show is better as they're two totally different shows. This one consisted of the duo deconstructing comedy concepts in between sketches, and considering that they're a sketch group I thought the bits in between the sketches actually worked better, and they certainly got more big laughs (
Spoiler alert
especially the payoff to Ben's fascinating anecdote about putting some leaves in a bin
[close]
). Maybe they thought so too as the sketches probably took up less than a third of the hour-long show. It was a very dense and fast-paced show with plenty of callbacks, it was more structured and with a much stronger ending that last year's show. I'd check them out a third time next year.

I think I said a similar thing during last year's Fringe, but when I see acts come up with these dense, intricate and massively well-rehearsed shows it does make me wonder why I should bother with work-in-progress type shows, especially from more established acts who seem to be resting on their laurels a bit. Last year it was seeing The Pin, The Trap's Bad Musical and then Simon Munnery that made me feel this way- I enjoyed Fylm Makker but I couldn't help feeling a tiny bit cheated.

Waking Life

Hmm, let's see...

Free Fringe Comedian - I don't remember his name, so a bit redundant writing this, but fairly poor. Most of the laughter was out of the cringe variety. I felt sorry for the guy having another 20 odd shows to do.

Alabama 3 - Not comedy obviously or particularly relevant here, but part of the festival. Won the tickets and unfamiliar with most of their material so had no expectations. I ended up really enjoying it as there was a great atmosphere. Interesting cross-section of fans too.

Avenue Q - Hampered by a poor choice of seats - our own fault for not getting there early enough - which serves as a warning to anyone going. It's in the Assembly Hall, which features a lot of side seating, but given the puppetry, the effect is somewhat ruined from there. I really enjoyed it overall, but a shame about the view. About 20% of the cost you'd pay in the West End and it didn't seem scaled down at all.

Nat Luurtsema - A free show worth seeing. She's good, without being particularly funny. Rather bleak self-deprecating stories, but with a lot of warmth. A good way to spend an hour and I'm now half interested in seeing Tom Craine's show to hear the other side.

Matt Forde - I went at the behest of another, but I really didn't like this guy. A political show, but delivered in an FHM style, for want of a better term. I didn't really agree with his politics, which was a stumbling block, although he reiterates constantly about the need to separate the personality of a politician from their political views. He therefore talks fondly of David Cameron and Nigel Farage. And the Iraq War. Brilliant...

Nish Kumar - Went on a whim and didn't regret it. An enjoyable hour of stand up, without being hilariously funny. Focussed firmly on cultural and ethnic identity and he dealt admirably with a drunken front row. I wouldn't rush out to see him, but he was reasonably solid.

The Horne Section - Also at the show with David O'Doherty and his Dad. I thought this was fantastic, aside from the short Robin Ince section. It felt like he was at a competely different show. The venue, as mentioned, is woeful, although fortunately we were at the front so didn't suffer too badly from the sound. Really fun way to end a night though. Huge delay was really annoying though and this seems to be the norm unfortunately.

Nirbhaya - Powerful theatre piece, although I wouldn't go as far as the 5 stars it's been getting in places. The subject matter - the rape, torture and murder of various Indian women - is described and acted out by the original victims, which certainly gives it a lot of punch. It doesn't quite all hang together though as a show and could have done with better pacing. It's lingered with me since seeing it.

Colin Hoult - Mentioned here a few times and I can confirm it's an enjoyable show. The characters were all new to me and it's framed around an imaginary alternate version of Nottingham. Reminded me of Time Bandits. A very fun show, but worryingly empty for a 2 for 1 day.

Richard Herring - Vast improvement on Talking Cock and I didn't find it to be too rushed this time. It's about death, as the title suggests, but plays a bit looser with the concept than previous shows (he targets religion (again) as much as death). I'd be interested to see the 90 minute version, but it wasn't as strong as Hitler's Moustache.

Pete Firman - Stuck at the back as we saw him straight after Herring and had to exit and re-enter the venue (The Pleasance Beyond). A decent comedian and good magician; just a shame some of the tricks weren't really visible from where we were sitting. Recommended.

The Jazz House - BBC radio show about jazz. I have only a Miles Davis entry-level jazz interest, but I enjoyed this 2 hour show. They had a band on as part of it, who weren't particularly good (or jazzy), but some of the other performances were fantastic. This was a one-off show, but I think it's on iPlayer if you're really interested.

That's all for now (I think). Back to work for a break before the weekend.

Waking Life

Quote from: Blue Jam on August 08, 2013, 09:34:09 PM
Saw The Pin today, with the original trio now down to just Alex and Ben (they won't be doing the "I'm the guy from Wheatus" sketch anymore). The dynamic is very different- they're now an uptight straight man/eejit duo- but if anything I enjoyed it as much as last year's show, though it's hard to say which show is better as they're two totally different shows. This one consisted of the duo deconstructing comedy concepts in between sketches, and considering that they're a sketch group I thought the bits in between the sketches actually worked better, and they certainly got more big laughs (
Spoiler alert
especially the payoff to Ben's fascinating anecdote about putting some leaves in a bin
[close]
). Maybe they thought so too as the sketches probably took up less than a third of the hour-long show. It was a very dense and fast-paced show with plenty of callbacks, it was more structured and with a much stronger ending that last year's show. I'd check them out a third time next year.

I think I said a similar thing during last year's Fringe, but when I see acts come up with these dense, intricate and massively well-rehearsed shows it does make me wonder why I should bother with work-in-progress type shows, especially from more established acts who seem to be resting on their laurels a bit. Last year it was seeing The Pin, The Trap's Bad Musical and then Simon Munnery that made me feel this way- I enjoyed Fylm Makker but I couldn't help feeling a tiny bit cheated.

I also saw them, but forgot them on my list somehow. I feel the same as you did, although never caught them last year. I heard a couple saying beforehand that the 'talented one' had left, but that didn't seem to be the case on the basis of the show. I expected a full on sketch show, but I wasn't disappointed with what they did; thought it was great.

Blue Jam

Who has got the most annoying posters/show name this year? Chris Ramsey's t-shirt-and-haircut ones are still annoying me but probably more because they're big and they're everywhere than anything else. The poster for Matt Forde's The Political Party, featuring politicians in party hats, is just poor. Russell Kane's seem to have been vandalised the most. I haven't seen any good stickers this year.

Any themes emerging? I see there are no fewer than two shows called First World Problems (*yawn*) and lots of cupcake-related stuff, fewer Germans doing shows about being German but more Danes, Finns and Norwegians doing shows about being Danish, Finnish or Norwegian- when I was in Reykjavik I saw ads for a comedy gig called How To Be Icelandic and I'm surprised that's not here in Edinburgh. I swear I've seen posters for two shows about Downton Abbey, one called The Only Way is Downton which I think we can safely assume involves people in period costume saying "totes amazeballs".

Beagle 2

Might have to get Bridget Christie tickets then, only two possible mornings I could see her and hearing nowt but good things.

Quote from: Blue Jam on August 08, 2013, 10:24:05 PM
Who has got the most annoying posters/show name this year? Chris Ramsey's t-shirt-and-haircut ones are still annoying me but probably more because they're big and they're everywhere than anything else.

They're even more annoying when you realise that they're only advertising a three-show run.

Saw David Baddiel (one of Mrs McCreery's choices) this evening, which was nothing more than an hour of namedropping and anecdotes, half of which I'd already heard despite having next to no interest in him. I could see the punchlines coming from a mile off, and my only laugh came when a few pockets of the theatre deemed the show worthy enough of a standing ovation.

hummingofevil

Had one of my more strange, expensive and excellent days.

Bed at 3 after The Hanging Bat and a few wee drams of Glen Garoich (Zombier is an excellent Scottish darkness beer and the whiskey induces mild visualisationd!!!).

Up at 9 and was going to try BC but EF told me it was sold out and The Stand (as wonderful as they are) have decided not explain what happens if you buy their PRINT ONLY E-tickets an hour in advance without access to a paper printer.

So I walked/ran/waddled whilst squeezing across to St Stephens and the Northern Stage (I took a hasty-warm shit as soon as I had arrived - half a Edinburgh E
Heriot brewed Saison for breakfast does nothing for my IBS; it's self diagnosed but only because the symptoms are so severe this is the least worst option!) and bought tickets for the first play (full price but preview - hooray) and the second play (all subsequent shows are a fiver with the day pass - hooray).

The GB Project was a one woman show about the forgotten North Eastern female icon Gertrude Bell and her middle eastern exploites. I really enjoyed it; Kate's performance was superbiish and the detail was interestingand thought-provoking (though to be fair I know the story, the main character protagonists and went for an essential shit half way through the show during the Hilary Clinton is a woman bit) and it provides a relaxed counterpoint to over simplistic feminist ideology that you get elsewhere.

How to protest an Oil Rig. Very good. Possibly amazing if you agree with the perceived sentiment of the show and /or are willing to suspend your disbelief to do so temporarily but otherwise still very good. The problem with some theatre companies is that it's very difficult to form a genuinely subjective view of how good the play IS independent of one's preconceptions or readings of reviews (potentially written by idiots or ex-students) so I think it was charming.

Track 3. See above to contextualise motherfucker. Might be shit but I thought it was. Bloody excellent. The performances and direction were sublime throughout and the only criticism I have is that it is clearly a show best appreciated by someone who has a deep and critical understanding of Chekov's original. The cast were fresh and vibrate (despite their young or maturerer age) but the

CaledonianGonzo

Ha - 4 or 5 years ago this thread would struggle to reach 3 or 4 pages.  Now we have people reviewing their own bowel movements.

Quote from: Waking Life on August 08, 2013, 10:05:37 PM
Alabama 3 - Interesting cross-section of fans too.

My old man, 70, is a fan.  He did ask me to take him along but we were already booked up for something else.

Quote from: Waking Life on August 08, 2013, 10:05:37 PM
Colin Hoult - A very fun show, but worryingly empty for a 2 for 1 day.

I think he's been onsale at the Half Price Hut most days if anyone's interested but doesn't want to pay full whack.

Quote from: hummingofevil on August 09, 2013, 04:14:44 AM
Up at 9 and was going to try BC but EF told me it was sold out and The Stand (as wonderful as they are) have decided not explain what happens if you buy their PRINT ONLY E-tickets an hour in advance without access to a paper printer.

Despite what it says on the e-tickets, you can pop into their box office to exchange them for proper tickets beforehand without having to print the email.

scarecrow

I saw Wil Hodgson last night and enjoyed it loads as usual, but... he's not been saying that DW Griffith directed 'Greed' for the past 8 nights, has he?* Honestly, that was the closest I've ever come to heckling anyone.

Also saw Ahir Shah, a young comedian who practically assaulted me two years ago. He's in a tiny attic as part of the free Fringe and surprised me by being pretty good, though he's definitely a post-Stewart Lee comic and his many weaknesses as a performer all stem from this fact.

Has anyone been to see Slightly Fat Features? A clowning/variety show in Pleasance 1, it's probably my favourite of the Festival so far.



*It was Erich Von Stroheim, eh lads?

CaledonianGonzo

Quote from: scarecrow on August 09, 2013, 09:32:05 AM
Has anyone been to see Slightly Fat Features? A clowning/variety show in Pleasance 1, it's probably my favourite of the Festival so far.

I've seen their (what d'you call it) - showreel?  edited highlights? - bit twice now, once at The Horne Section, once at the Pleasance Press Launch.

I'm still not sure what that clingfilm-wrapped Butterfly Man is all about.

hummingofevil

Yes. Not only did I pass out mid-sentence but I somehow managed to hit POST.

So. No idea what I was about to write to finish that sentence off but Track 3 was very good, though if it is narrative you are after it gets a little lost in the mix. Impressive stuff though.

Then to poor Will Franken. Not really sure what to say. I still like him but it's painful watching him clearly struggling. I'm sure he wouldn't care if no effort had gone into it but the attention to detail is exceptional but lacking one important thing. For what it's worth I think one of problems is that its a very fine line doing
Spoiler alert
Disabled/racism/3xcunts
[close]
material but it seems to make the audience uncomfortable so he doesnt get laughs out of the few genuinely funny lines that are in there. Its of course possible that he doesn't care either way but I suspect the final scenes of him finally becoming himself are actually his own opinions and that he will spend the rest of this festival
Spoiler alert
getting stoned, being skint and firing his agent
[close]
. I wonder what a Will Franken stand up set would be like?

Then to the music. As I write this I am fucking deaf thanks to Mogwai. Now admittedly I sat in the third row between two fuck-off stacks so deserve it but it was well worth it. The Assembly Music Hall was packed for the Dougie Paul memorial concert and a joy it was to be there. Moreover, As King Creosote sang his beautiful tribute I was thinking what a brilliant way to watch gigs this is; I get bored by even my favorite bands after an hour anyway. Its so good watching Mogwai fucking go for it (it's all about wee Stuart's cap) but Yes I Am A Long Way From Home and Fear Satan were as magnificent as ever and reminded me off some grand ol' times.

Anyway as this is a comedy thread I jumped in a cab after the 90 minute overrun and got to the Pleasance Dome in time to queue for 20mins for Cassetteboy vs DJ Rubbish. Ha ha ha ha: £6 wasted. Fucking brilliant. It really helps that the Pleasance Dome is clearly the hangout for the young-un's and the teenage/student/female crowd finally produced a crowd the a show deserved. The rave is fucking funny as and I loved every second of it. Fun party and I will be back for more!!! Highlight:
Spoiler alert
Blurred lines
[close]
.

CaledonianGonzo

Cassetteboy is on pretty much past my bedtime, but I think we'll hopefully still manage to swing by at some point on the last weekend.

Waking Life

Quote from: scarecrow on August 09, 2013, 09:32:05 AM
Has anyone been to see Slightly Fat Features? A clowning/variety show in Pleasance 1, it's probably my favourite of the Festival so far.

I saw their full show as my Fringe debut this year, then again saw their juggling act at the Pleasance launch. I thought they ran out of steam about halfway through, although it was an interesting finale. The circus juggling act they've been using elsewhere isn't really representative of their full show.

Blue Jam

Quote from: Wayman C. McCreery on August 08, 2013, 11:30:40 PM
They're even more annoying when you realise that they're only advertising a three-show run.

...and Russell Kane's are even more annoying when you see they're not even intended to sell tickets and are really just boasting about a sell-out run.

CaledonianGonzo

Completely off-topic, but did anyone else see Russell Kane getting stitched up like a kipper on Dispatches the other night?

The only time he's ever made me laugh.